Radiating Armored Monk - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Radiating Armored Monk Build

The build idea came when I wanted to create a monk that uses some kind of armor and a shield. This reminded me of the Manifestation of Soul​ feature, which causes additional radiant damage. You can combo it with Luminous Armour to create Radiant Shockwaves and debuff enemies.

Sounds neat, and I went with the idea further, how to use Radiant damage more and utilize it with other classes. This is where Cleric with Spirit Guardians​ comes which allows you to debuff enemies further and inflict some decent damage as you move. Cleric will play the major part early in the game, the further transition will happen later in the game.

What this ends up is a Radiant Armored Monk, that jumps into the heat of the combat, trying to tag as many enemies as possible and debuffing the main targets using its fist attacks. This build does offer a unique setup. You replace your cleric and give it a unique spin and more combat options, especially on the second turn.

The build will also depend on Elixir of Hill Giant Strength, as you will need high strength to fully utilize Tavern Brawler​ feat. It will also resolve your multi-ability dependence, enabling greater damage via unarmed attacks.

So let's go into the build!

Class Contribution

The build consists of 3 classes and each of them brings plenty of improvements to the overall setup:

5 Cleric

There are various cleric subclass options here, you can go to Tempest, Light, or even Nature. My preference is Light domain:

• Access to healing and support spells - Mass Healing Word​ and Healing Word​
• Wet status can be applied to other casters with Create or Destroy Water.
• Spirit Guardians​ - the ultimate cleric spell, to debuff enemies, making them miss their attacks. To make the most out of it you will need some gear.
• Light cleric features - Radiance of the Dawn​ and Warding Flare, to inflict radiant damage and increase the likelihood of enemies missing.
• Proficiencies with shields and medium armor allow for further improvement of defensive capabilities.

6 Way of Open Hand Monk

As the build uses armor, many of the monk's features get lost.

• Martial Arts: Deft Strikes​ gives a boost to minimum damage with unarmed attacks and monk weapons. This starts at 1d4 and ends at 1d6.
• Martial Arts: Bonus Unarmed Strike​ - unlocks an option to attack with bonus action after making a main hand attack.
• Get a powerful bonus action attack that also uses Ki Points - Flurry of Blows.
• Special bonus action attacks - Flurry of Blows: Push, Flurry of Blows: Stagger, Flurry of Blows: Topple​ to weaken enemies and apply control.
• Reduce incoming ranged attack damage by using a reaction with Deflect Missiles.
• Special Stunning Strike (Melee)​ that can stun enemies and can be used both with weapon or unarmed attacks.
• Extra Attack​ to land more hits with your action point.
• Special manifestation effects that give additional damage - Manifestation of Body, Manifestation of Mind, Manifestation of Soul.
• Overcome enemy resistance with Ki-Empowered Strikes.
• Wholeness of Body​ is a powerful buff, that helps to restore Ki Points and grants additional bonus action for more attacks.

1 Storm Sorcerer

• Provides Constitution Saving Throw proficiency which will help maintain spell concentration.
• Access to Shield, which is an excellent cheap survivability boost if the situation demands it. The +5 Armour Class is a huge boon, allowing you to avoid deadly attacks.
• Access to a variety of cantrips like Friends, which are especially useful if you are the main character, as you can win over some of the dialogues with low charisma.
• Unique Storm Sorcerer feature - Tempestuous Magic, giving a huge boost in mobility, especially on the initial turn.

Leveling Overview

Here is a concise table with all the main picks during your leveling progression. For more detailed reasoning, I go further in the article. Also, do not forget to check the recommended gear as it is crucial.

Level	Class	Selection
1	Cleric 1	Cantrips: Sacred Flame, Thaumaturgy, Guidance​
		Subclass: Light Domain
		Recommended Prepared Spells: Guiding Bolt, Command, Inflict Wounds, Sanctuary, Healing Word​
		Abilities: STR - 8, DEX - 16, CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 17, CHA - 8
		Skills: any
2	Cleric 2	-
3	Cleric 3	Recommended Prepared Spells: Lesser Restoration, Enhance Ability, Hold Person, Spiritual Weapon​
4	Cleric 4	Cantrips: Light​
		Feat: Ability Improvement - +1 Wisdom, +1 Constitution
5	Cleric 5	Recommended Prepared Spells: Spirit Guardians, Glyph of Warding, Mass Healing Word​
6	Sorcerer 1	Cantrips: Friends, Minor Illusion, Blade Ward, Mage Hand.
		Spells: Magic Missile, Shield​
		Subclass: Storm Sorcery
7	Respec Character: Level 1 - Sorcerer Level 2-6 - Cleric Level 7 - Monk 1	Abilities: STR - 8, DEX - 16, CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 16, CHA - 10
		Feat: Tavern Brawler​
8	Monk 2	-
9	Monk 3	Subclass: Way of the Open Hand
10	Monk 4	Feat: Ability Improvement +2 Wisdom or Alert​
11	Monk 5	-
12	Monk 6	-

Starting the Game - Level 1

This section covers the creation screen and what would go into the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for the Armored Monk build. If you have already started playing feel free to do a respec at Withers and follow along. This will make it easy to follow the build step by step.

Races

Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc.

Race	Features	Description
Wood Half-Elf	Civil Militia Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.	The race picks are very similar, the main difference is weapon proficiencies. However, the cleric subclass will already provide everything that you need. The most important aspect is the increased movement speed that you will need when using Spirit Guardians.
Wood Elf	Elven Weapon Training​ Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry Fleet of Foot - your movement speed is increased by 1.5m.
Half-Orc	Savage Attacks​ Relentless Endurance​ Darkvision​	The Relentless Endurance​ feature can be handy to save yourself from wiping during combat.
Githyanki	Martial Prodigy​	They have various actions like Astral Knowledge​ and Enhance Leap​ to help with exploration. Moreover, they have some combat abilities - Misty Step​ in case you need to cover a lot of ground.

Class

Overview
Cleric
Clerics are representatives of the gods they worship, wielding potent divine magic for good or ill.
Features
Spell Slots	These can be used to cast spells and are restored each long rest.
Domain Spells​	Unique spell list accessible based on your cleric subclass.

Cantrips

Cantrips	Description
Sacred Flame​	The main damage cantrip of clerics deals radiant damage. Early in the game, it is underwhelming, due to low Spell Save DC, but later it can be a decent option when you are saving spell slots.
Thaumaturgy​	Especially recommended if you are the main character as it will help with Intimidation checks.
Guidance​	The most important cleric cantrip, which improves various ability rolls, works on yourself and party members.

Subclass

Overview
Light Domain
Features
Warding Flare​	Allows you to impose a disadvantage on enemy attack, this is an easy way to have a chance of avoiding enemy attacks.
Light​	Excellent cantrip that will be useful in dark areas, especially Act 2.
Burning Hands​	A situationally useful spell, however, it's nothing fancy.
Faerie Fire​	Excellent spell that you can use to enable attack roll advantage for your allies, useful in the early game.

Deity

Pick any, that you prefer in terms of roleplay.

Spells

Clerics get plenty of good level-1 spells. You might not have enough slots to equip them all but don't worry, more will be available as you level up. Choose your preferred ones.

Spells	Description
Guiding Bolt​	The main, long-range damage spell for the cleric in the early game.
Create or Destroy Water​	Excellent spell to keep on hand. It can be useful when allies will cast Cold or Lightning spells to double their damage.
Inflict Wounds​	If enemies are close to you, this is the go-to spell, which a strong damage rolls. It can also crit, inflicting even more damage.
Command​	One of the best control spells in the game, if you have a high chance of landing it. What makes it special is that it does not use a concentration slot.
Sanctuary​	Use this spell to make the ally untouchable, for example, if they have low HP, or you want to divert the enemy's attention.
Healing Word​	The best healing spell, due to its cheap cost and ability to revive downed targets without wasting action points. Moreover, later with The Whispering Promise ring you can buff specific allies.
Bless​	This is an excellent spell, however, I would only use it before combat and in the early game. It loses value later on, especially with some excellent items you can get in Act 1 like The Whispering Promise.
Shield of Faith​	Excellent early game spell, that can be used to improve defensive capabilities. I would not use it too much at higher levels as you get better use for concentration slots.

Background

Backgrounds are mostly for role-playing and you can pick whatever you prefer. If you want to optimize, then it would be good to pick backgrounds that are based on your ability points.

Abilities

Now let's take a look at the abilities of the Radiating Monk build. Correct allocation will allow you to maximize the early gameplay and get good modifier bonuses.

The core mechanic to understand for ability points is that they give "ability modifiers" that apply to various skill checks. For example, Charisma works on Intimidation and persuasion checks. Wisdom on Survival or Animal Handling and so on.

You get a higher ability modifier on even values - 10, 12, 14, etc. So keeping it on odd may be useless. However, there are various +1/2 modifiers in the game, specifically Auntie Ethel Hair or Feats that help round this up.

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	8	This ability is not relevant early in the game, but will become important once you start taking Monk levels. Then, Elixir of Hill Giant Strength or Club of Hill Giant Strength will become almost mandatory.
Dexterity	16 (15+1)	Improves initiative and armor class with medium armor.
Constitution	15	The constitution will play a major role in maintaining spell concentration and HP pool.
Intelligence	8	Irrelevant stat.
Wisdom	17 (15+2)	The main spellcasting ability for clerics. This should be maximized to have success with spells.
Charisma	8	Not relevant ability for the build.

Skills and Expertise

Overall, the skills should be impacted by your roleplaying and background decisions. However, you would still want those that will give you the best benefits. My recommendations are to pick those at which you have a high ability modifier and these are Wisdom-related.

• Animal Handling
• Insight
• Medicine
• Perception
• Survival

Leveling Progression - Levels 2-12

Here is the detailed progression for the Radiant Monk build to get you started. You can use it as a guideline because early games can be daunting and overwhelming. Later on, once you get a feel for the class you can start picking your options.

The build will need to do a respec later down the road. This will transition you into more of a "monk" than a "cleric" and allow you to utilize fists for this fully.

Level 2

This is where you will have left the tutorial area, and will start exploring the world. 

Action	Description
Turn Undead​	Excellent against undead enemies, making them run away.
Radiance of the Dawn​	One of the better cleric actions, it can deal a decent amount of radiant damage in a large area. Also removes any Darkness.

Level 3

At this level the Cleric gets access to Level 2 spells, further expanding the spellbook. Moreover, new always-ready spells are introduced.

Spells	Description
Flaming Sphere​	A separate summon, that can be a great distraction and deals some damage. However, it pales to other spell options, especially as you get to higher levels.
Scorching Ray​	Excellent attack spell, that also works well with Hat of Fire Acuity to stack Spell Save DC.

Prepared Spells

Spells	Description
Lesser Restoration​	I recommend being aware that you have this spell, as there are situations where it might be useful. It does not have to be always in the prepared spell list.
Warding Bond​	Excellent spell, that you can use to greatly improve the survivability of one of your party members.
Hold Person​	Can be situationally useful, especially if you have an 80%+ chance to land it. It can also shine if you start using the Scorching Ray​ + Hat of Fire Acuity combo.
Spiritual Weapon​	Gives a good use for bonus action. The weapon deals okay damage and can act as a distraction.
Enhance Ability​	Almost a mandatory spell to have by someone in the group. This can help with various ability checks and turn the tables to your side.

Level 4

Level 4 brings the first feat, it will be a huge improvement.

Cantrips

Cantrip	Description
Thaumaturgy​	This can be useful in some ability checks especially if you are the main character.

Feat

Here you can select from a few choices, based on your playstyle and what kind of playthrough you are doing.

Level 5

This level is a huge milestone, and that is why no multiclassing happened before. Access to level 3 spells makes Light Cleric an extremely powerful build.

Feature	Description
Destroy Undead​	When you use Turn Undead, you will also deal bonus radiant damage. I think this is a good addition, but nothing fancy as it has niche uses.

Light Cleric subclass also gains special spells:

Spell	Description
Daylight​	Cover a wide area with light, especially useful in Act 2, where most of the areas are dark, and can also weaken foes.
Fireball​	One of the most satisfying spells to use. It is fairly simple and deals good damage the more targets you can hit. It excellent choice, when you just want to use it for an action point, without Concentration.

Prepared Spells

Now, this is probably the most important section as you will gain some game-changing spells, allowing you to win many encounters.

Spell	Description
Spirit Guardians​	This is one of the strongest cleric spells, that will be your bread and butter throughout the game. It will be used to weaken enemies using the Radiating Orb status effect.
Remove Curse​	This can be useful throughout the game in case you or a party member gets cursed.
Glyph of Warding​	You can use this Glyph to apply various damage types and effects. For example - fire, cold, lightning, etc. The main highlight is Sleep, which works on multiple enemies and can outright win you an encounter.
Mass Healing Word​	Using this as a bonus action together with The Whispering Promise will buff all allies with the Bless​ effect.

This level is a stepstone to unlock the full potential of the build. Here are the benefits of Sorcerer:

• (Next level after respec) get proficiency in Constitution Saving Throws. This is important as it allows you to sustain Concentration on spells while being hit.
• Access to defensive spells like Shield.
• Improved mobility after casting spells and using Tempestuous Magic.

To multiclass into another class, use the level-up screen:

Cantrips

Offensive cantrips use Charisma as a spellcasting modifier so you want to avoid those, and only take the utility ones.

Cantrip	Description
Friends​	If you are the main character and do most of the dialogues, this is also a good choice as it gives an advantage during rolls.
Blade Ward​	Can be useful in some situations, where an ally might be in a pinch, and you have no good use for action otherwise.
Minor Illusion​	You can use this cantrip to pull enemies together before an encounter.
Mage Hand​	Can be used to solve some puzzles and overcome obstacles.

Spells

Spells	Description
Shield​	Very good spell that can ensure +5 Armour Class giving a good survivability boost.
Magic Missile​	I recommend this spell. It is not very powerful, but it can be used to specifically hit a foe, with multiple attacks and using Callous Glow Ring apply a lot of Radiating Orbs to weaken its hit chance.

Subclass

Overview
Storm Sorcery
Features
Tempestuous Magic​	After you cast a Level 1 spell or higher you can Fly as a bonus action until the end of your turn without receiving Opportunity Attacks.

Level 7 - Monk Lv 1 and major Respec

So now the build will need to use 3 different classes, which creates some problems. You will want to have level 1 as Sorcerer to ensure you get the Constitution Saving Throw proficiency. So go to Withers for a respec:

Level 1 take Sorcerer:

• Cantrips: Friends, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand, Blade Ward.
• Spells: Magic Missile, Shield​
• Subclass: Storm Sorcerery
• Abilities: STR - 8, DEX - 16, CON - 15, INT - 8, WIS - 17, CHA - 8

After that:

1. Cleric Levels 1-5, be sure to take Tavern Brawler​ feat, instead of the Ability Improvement
2. Monk Level 1:

Class

Overview
Monk
Features
Flurry of Blows​	Very powerful attack, allowing you to do two hits with bonus action and Ki points.
Ki	A unique resource for Monk actions.
Unarmoured Defence​	Allows getting armor class from Wisdom modifier.
Martial Arts: Dextrous Attacks​	Similar to how finesse weapons work, Monk attacks scale based on high ability between Strength and Dexterity.
Martial Arts: Deft Strikes​	Set the base attack of unarmed attacks to 1d4, later this becomes 1d6 and 1d8.
Martial Arts: Bonus Unarmed Strike​	Gives an option to attack with your fists using bonus action.

Level 8 - Monk Lv 2

Reaching the first level-up already brings some good actions to improve tactical options

Feature	Description
Unarmoured Movement​	Makes it easier to reach and move between enemies.

That is not all, by using Ki points you can get an improved version of some base actions:

Action	Description
Patient Defence​	Not something that I would use, as the bonus action has better uses.
Step of the Wind: Dash​	Can be used to reach longer distances or jump on enemies on higher grounds.
Step of the Wind: Disengage​	A better option of Disengage by using Ki Point and a bonus action.

Level 9 - Monk Lv 3

This level unlocks subclass and additional class features:

Feature	Description
Deflect Missiles​	A useful option for reaction when you are getting shot with a ranged attack, and there are no opponents close by for Attack of Opportunity.

Subclass

Overview
Way of the Open Hand
Features
Flurry of Blows: Push​	The weakest option in my opinion. It is situationally useful in a few encounters.
Flurry of Blows: Stagger​	This is an excellent choice when you are fighting bosses, especially in Honour Mode, to disable their reactions to legendary actions.
Flurry of Blows: Topple​	One of the best options for the bonus action attack as Prone enemies can be hit by allies with Advantage.

Level 10 - Monk Lv 4

You unlock the second feat, to adjust and fix some stats, and improve the overall performance of the build.

Feat

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement - +2 Wisdom	This ensures you get higher Wisdom. It is useful for damage with Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo and improves the spellcasting success of spells like Spirit Guardians.
Alert​	The feat is quite good in some situations, especially if something like Hellrider Longbow is taken and you need a boost to initiative.

Level 11 - Monk Lv 5

Another major milestone for the build and unlocks great features:

Feature	Description
Extra Attack​	Important feature, that will allow you to attack two times with the main hand. This will pair well with the next unlock - Stunning Strike (Unarmed)​ to stun your targets.
Stunning Strike (Melee)​	It acts as a normal attack but can also stun enemies when attacking with a weapon.
Stunning Strike (Unarmed)​	It acts as a normal attack but can also stun enemies when attacking unarmed.

Level 12 - Monk Lv 6

The last level of the build, where you will get a very powerful upgrade, and finalize the Radiant setup of the build with Manifestation of Soul.

Feature	Description
Ki-Empowered Strikes​	You can now overcome non-magical resistances with unarmed attacks.
Manifestation of Body​	Different types of damage based on the situation you need. These have base 1d4 damage and are further empowered via the Wisdom ability modifier.
Manifestation of Mind​
Manifestation of Soul​
Wholeness of Body​	Restore ki and gain additional bonus action that can be used for Flurry of Blows: Topple​ or others.

And the build is finished!

Maximizing Ability Scores

Now, as the build progression is covered there are a few aspects and important decisions you will have to make throughout the game. These will decide your final score for abilities.

Wisdom

For the build, this ability plays an important role. It improves Armour Class and damage with Manifestation of Soul. Moreover, if you decide to use Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo they will further enhance your damage from Wisdom.

1. 17 Wisdom - the base from character creation.
2. Feat - Ability Improvement - +1 Wisdom.
3. Feat 2 - +2 Wisdom
4. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Wisdom.

These will allow you to reach 20-22 natural Wisdom, which should be high enough to successfully land most of the spells.

Potions, Elixirs and Consumables

Let's take a look at what consumables you can use to further empower the build.

Potions

These are general consumables, and most of them are activated for a few turns. Potions are separate from Elixirs and can be active together.

Consumable	Description
Potion of Speed	In case you or your other casters have a Concentration spell slot taken and cannot cast Haste, use this potion. It acts similarly, but the effect is just for 3 turns.
Potion of Animal Speaking	Although not powerful, it is worth stocking up and saving a spell slot.
Potion of Invisibility	It can be used to get into a perfect position before the encounter starts or to leave the encounter if the worst happens.
Potion of Angelic Reprieve	It gives a short rest effect and restores level 1 and 2 spell slots. Excellent for restoring some spellslots to use Shield.
Potion of Angelic Slumber	A few can be obtained throughout the game, but most of them are found in Act 3. Gives the effects of long rest, perfect for restoring spell slots.

Elixirs

Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last until a long rest, making them very useful and economical.

Be sure to activate them before combat as otherwise, you will need to use Bonus Action.

Consumable	Description
Elixir of Hill Giant Strength	Sets strength value to 21 until the Long Rest. This will enable the Cleric to easily land melee hits with various weapons and compensate for low ability scores. Here is a farming guide for Elixir of Hill Giant Strength
Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength	An upgraded version that is available mostly in Act 3 via crafting or purchasing. Sets Strength to 27, the highest value possible.
Elixir of Bloodlust	Very effective elixir that gives another action point if you kill an enemy. I would say this is the best one to use to maximize your output through the turn.

Illithid Powers

This special mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3 allows you to consume tadpoles and unlock special Illithid Powers.

At first, you can only use the base powers. As you move to Act 3, you will be able to unlock the outer ring powers also called Elite.

Illithid Power	Type	Description
Favourable Beginnings	Base	Beneficial power to take as it does not have any costs, and provides only benefits on the first hits with attack rolls.
Luck of the Far Realms​	Base	An easy way to ensure you land critical hits. Works well with the melee hits on War Cleric.
Cull the Weak​	Base	Can help to kill an enemy faster if it is left with a few HP.
Psionic Backlash​	Base	A great way to weaponize your reaction before obtaining Counterspell.
Illithid Expertise​	Elite	Can be used to maximize the effectiveness of charisma-based skills, especially relevant to the main character.
Psionic Dominance​	Elite	Can be used to save yourself from a deadly spell. This is especially relevant as you will have a disadvantage on mental saving throws.

Equipment Recommendations

Now I would like to go through some gear recommendations to maximize the Radiant Monk Build. Items are especially important as they take the build to the next level thanks to their unique effects.

Act 1

At the start of the game, you will mostly play as a standard cleric. So this means that you should be using the normal weapons. The transition to Monk playstyle will happen later on.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Blood of Lathander	Extremely good weapon if you do not care about Phalar Aluve unique effects. The Lathander's Light​ effect will help you activate additional debuffs from enemies and make combat easier in Act 2.
	Phalar Aluve	This is one of the best weapons in the game for a supporting class like Cleric. If you can precast its Phalar Aluve: Melody before combat, I recommend using it both to improve companion damage or attack rolls.
	Defender Flail	If you do not care about the unique effects, this is a go-to choice. The bonus Armour Class will help you avoid enemy hits and activate Holy Lance Helm.
Ranged	Bow of Awareness	Gives bonus initiative, allowing one to go earlier in combat.
Shield	Adamantine Shield	It provides a substantial defensive boost by reducing critical hit damage.
	Safeguard Shield	Gives a bonus to saving throws, easily accessible early in the game.
Head	Holy Lance Helm	A solid helmet that will deal 1d4 radiant damage if the enemy misses you. Moreover, it will also activate any reverbation effects from Gloves of Belligerent Skies.
	Haste Helm	Improves movement speed, allowing one to reach important targets easily, early in the game.
Cloak	-	Nothing relevant for the build
Armor	Luminous Armour	This is the best armor for the whole game.
Gloves	Gloves of Belligerent Skies	One of the best gloves for builds that apply status effects via various damage sources. This will create Reverbation, increasing the chance of making the enemy Prone.
	Hellrider's Pride	Defensive gloves that give damage resistance to those that the Cleric heals. Perfect combo to be used with Healing Word​/Mass Healing Word​ + The Whispering Promise.
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	The best boots in terms of offensive damage. They will give Reverbation stacks when you apply status effects, for example, Spirit Guardians.
	Disintegrating Night Walkers	One of the best boots, giving a total advantage for movement on difficult surfaces. It also gives Misty Step​ to increase that mobility.
	Boots of Speed	Excellent boots that improve movement capabilities, especially useful when you are running around with Spirit Guardians​ active.
Amulet	Amulet of Restoration	The best cleric amulet early in the game. Use the spells together with The Whispering Promise to apply buffs on your allies.
Rings	The Whispering Promise	The best ring for a cleric early in the game. This will apply Bless​ to allies when you use a healing spell like the Mass Healing Word.
	Crusher's Ring	Excellent ring that will allow you to move around more. This is especially useful before you obtain Tempestuous Magic​ from Sorcerer dip.
	Ring of Protection	The bonus Armour Class is a great boost for survivability.

Act 2 - mid-game

The build starts taking shape in Act 2, at about level 7, when you will do the respec, and obtain Monk levels.

To be fair the build can use weapons, as you will be mostly using your fists with bonus action attacks.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	Club of Hill Giant Strength	Optional item, that can be used instead of Elixir of Hill Giant Strength, to activate Tavern Brawler.
	-	Items from previous acts
Ranged	Bow of Awareness	Still the best bow, as initiative plays a vital role for Light Cleric.
	Darkfire Shortbow	Allows casting Haste.
Shield	Ketheric's Shield	The best shield for casters as it gives +1 Spell Save DC, increasing spell success.
	Sentinel Shield	What makes this shield amazing is that by wearing it you will be going first most of the time during encounters. This is a great way to apply Radiating Orb and Reverbation on enemies using Spirit Guardians.
Head	Holy Lance Helm	Inflicts radiant damage when avoiding enemy attacks. In turn, this will apply a Radiant Orb or Revebration.
Cloak	Thunderskin Cloak	Because most of the enemies you come across will have Reverbation this cloak will further help to weaken those foes.
	Cloak of Protection	Improves survivability and Saving Throw success. You want to equip this cloak to maintain that good Armour Class.
Armor	Luminous Armour	The best armor for clerics using Radiant damage.
Gloves	Flawed Helldusk Gloves	Once you start using unarmed attacks, these gloves are pretty good with bonus damage and the possibility of inflicting bleeding.
	Luminous Gloves	Perfect for use with all the radiant setups. Pick the preferred debuff - Radiant Orb vs Reverbation based on gear availability or other criteria.
	Gloves of Belligerent Skies
Boots	Boots of Stormy Clamour	Still the best boots in terms of applying reverbation.
Amulet	Amulet of the Harpers	Allows casting a Shield​ spell, and can be a lifesaver if attacked heavily for one turn.
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	This will be the easiest source of Radiant damage for the time being so that you would apply Radiating Orb with your fist attacks.
	Crusher's Ring	I do think this is a valuable ring, especially as the movement speed of Monk with armor will be limited.

Act 3 - Final Build setup

For the endgame, the build has numerous variations. It all falls down to, how well at debuffing enemies you want to be, or you rather gain stronger monk attacks. I will leave this for you to decide and list a few gear options.

You can also decide to use weapons and use them as stat sticks or enjoy their effects. The main reason is that the monk gets access to Stunning Strike (Melee), which does not necessarily require an unarmed main hand.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (One-Handed)	The Sacred Star	An interesting weapon that applies Radiating Orb on a hit. It's not better than other options, but definitely an alternative if you want to try out something new.
	-	Weapons from previous acts.
Ranged	Hellrider Longbow	The bonus initiative is an excellent boost to go early in combat. If it is not a surprise round, it is almost guaranteed.
	Gontr Mael	It can be used to cast Haste.
Shield	Viconia's Walking Fortress	One of the best shields in the game. Overall, it serves more of a defensive role giving advantages on Spell Saving Throws.
	Ketheric's Shield	The best shield for casters as it gives +1 Spell Save DC, increasing spell success.
Head	Helmet of Grit	The best option in terms of offensive power. It gives additional bonus action if your HP is below 50%. I do recommend using Amulet of Greater Health together, to maximize the survivability of the build.
	Holy Lance Helm	Still relevant as it helps to debuff against enemies that miss you.
	Horns of the Berserker	Provides additional damage for unarmed attacks.
Cloak	Cloak of Displacement	Provides an increased chance of avoiding enemy attacks with attack rolls.
	Thunderskin Cloak	Can be used for additional daze effect if you are using reverbation items like Boots of Stormy Clamour and Gloves of Belligerent Skies.
Armor	Luminous Armour	Still the best armor in the game for cleric build.
Gloves	Gloves of Soul Catching	The best gloves in terms of offensive power, specifically for monks. The 1d10 damage rider is very powerful.
	Luminous Gloves	Perfect for use with all the radiant setups. Pick the preferred debuff - Radiant Orb vs Reverbation based on gear availability or other criteria.
	Gloves of Belligerent Skies
Boots	-	Reuse the same boots from previous acts.
Amulet	Amulet of Greater Health	The best amulet in terms of combat potential. Together with Helmet of Grit, you can have a decent amount of HP even at 50%, and improve the number of attacks.
	Khalid's Gift	It can be used to get the Aid​ spell and increase Wisdom by 1. It can be an alternative to Auntie Ethel Hair, to round up ability scores.
	Amulet of The Devout	A powerful amulet that gives additional Channel Divinity charge and improved Spell Save DC.
	Fey Semblance Amulet	An excellent amulet to improve the rolls against mental saving throws.
Rings	Callous Glow Ring	The radiant damage rider is still a good option even with Manifestation of Soul​ unlocked.
	Crusher's Ring	Improved movement speed is useful to get to enemies.
	Ring of Protection	A good ring to help maintain Armour Class to avoid enemy attacks.

Build Mechanics

In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the Armored Monk Build. This will help you utilize it to the fullest and correctly use various actions and spells throughout the game.

Important Mechanics and Combos

Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively.

Healing and Buffs

The main misunderstanding about clerics is that people assume they should only be healing and supporting. However, this is far from the truth. In general, the best healing mechanic is just throwing potions, which is efficient, and cheap in comparison.

Overall, healing should be limited and in my opinion, used sparingly. My recommended spells are Healing Word​ and Mass Healing Word. These are cheap to use and cost only bonus action, which does not interfere with your important spells that will be covered later.

However, the major highlight is that those healing spells activate The Whispering Promise ring buffing your allies. This is very valuable early in the game, so that your party has a higher hit chance, making combat easier.

In addition, there are other items that you can use - Hellrider's Pride or The Reviving Hands later in the game with more defensive bonuses.

Applying Radiant effects

The highlight of this build is all the radiant damage and Radiant Orb debuff that you can do on your targets:

• Luminous Armour - this item applies Radiant Orbs when attacking with radiant damage. It is one of the core items of the build.
• Spirit Guardians​ - this is the main spell, that you will use, from level 5. It has decent damage but more importantly, it will activate Luminous Armour.
• Radiance of the Dawn​ - an excellent skill that you can use to hit multiple enemies in a large area with radiant damage.
• Luminous Gloves - another source of Radiant orbs when attacking.
• Callous Glow Ring - an easy source of radiant damage for your melee hits. Make sure to cast Light​ on yourself so that you would illuminate enemies nearby.
• Manifestation of Soul​ - the main radiant damage boost on all your fist attacks.

So all of these items and effects will make the core of the build and ensure that you can deal sufficient radiant damage and apply Radiant Orb debuff. These are very powerful, as they make enemies miss their hits, and improve your party survivability.

Tempestuous Flight

Taking a level 1 dip into Sorcerer unlocked one of the features that will greatly improve Light cleric mobility - Tempestuous Magic. This will allow you to fly at the cost of bonus action, not use movement speed, and avoid opportunity attacks.

While flying any enemies you touch with Spirit Guardians, will be affected by it. This is an excellent way to spread Radiating Orbs and debuff most of the enemies in the combat zone.

Apply control with Monk attacks

The main highlight of Open Hand and Monk is that it gets some good attacks to apply control:

• Flurry of Blows: Push​, Flurry of Blows: Stagger​, Flurry of Blows: Topple​ - choose the one based on the preferred effect. My favorite one is Topple as it makes enemy prone, and makes it easier for allies to hit it.
• Stunning Strike (Melee)​ - this is a very powerful attack that a monk unlocks at level 6. It enables to stun an enemy, disabling them for 1 turn.

All of these attacks do cost Ki points, and are somewhat limited, but it should be enough to land a few of them during a single encounter before you do a short rest.

Finding the middle ground between status effects and Monk damage

The main decision that you will have to make in the late game, is how much of Monk or Cleric you want to be. For higher damage, I do recommend picking items like - Gloves of Soul Catching, Boots of Uninhibited Kushigo, etc.

However, if you want stronger debuffs and to create more havoc on the battlefield, you can pick - Gloves of Belligerent Skies, Luminous Gloves, Boots of Stormy Clamour, etc. These will apply reverbation effects, that can make enemies fall down, making them easier attack targets.

So as you can see, you can min-max the build in various ways, and choose the preferred one based on the gear availability.

Early Game Combat

Let's cover how you should progress combat levels 1-6. This is more or less a standard cleric build, where you debuff enemies, heal allies, and inflict damage whenever possible.

• For early encounters use normal spells like Guiding Bolt and, Inflict Wounds. To save spell slots I would prioritize Produce Flame​ followed by Sacred Flame​ to inflict damage
• If you can use Bless​ to buff allies before combat. Once you get The Whispering Promise, you can forgo the spell and use Healing Word​ or Mass Healing Word​ to buff your allies.
• Create or Destroy Water​ is an excellent spell if you have other casters that use Cold or Lightning spells.
• Once you obtain Spirit Guardians​ use these to run around the battlefield and debuff the enemies. Check the equipment section for the items that work the best with it.
• Your bonus action has plenty of uses. The already mentioned healing spells, but you can also summon Spiritual Weapon, which can deal additional damage and distract foes.
• Glyph of Warding​ can be used to put enemies to sleep without a Concentration slot. It is excellent if you see a few of them grouped up.
• If things are turning for the worse, you can always use Sanctuary​ to save an ally or use it to flee combat.

Mid to Late Game Combat

This is when the build starts to take shape, and you will start using the Monk features while muting Cleric ones

• Spirit Guardians​ are still your bread and butter for most of the combat encounters. You want to weaken most of the enemies before they get their turn.
• For improved movement speed, or getting close to enemies you can use Tempestuous Magic: Flight. This will use up Bonus action, but your Spirit Guardians​ will be able to hit enemies and debuff them
• Once you are in close combat lunge on enemies with your fist attacks - Flurry of Blows: Topple​, Flurry of Blows: Stagger, etc. Use Stunning Strike (Melee)​ to disable deadly foes so that they would skip their turn.
• If you are able to precast Wholeness of Body​ this will give a huge boost in damage due to additional bonus action. The same applies to Spirit Guardians. This way you can attack enemies directly on the first turn.

Build Variations

Here are some variations that work similarly and utilize the same classes at their core.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Radiating Armored Monk for Baldur's Gate 3. It is one of the more unique builds that have I written, which does offer an interesting approach to merging Cleric and Monk. If you do enjoy these classes I would give this build a try.

Cheers!